A Brief History
On January 31, 1930, the 3M Company (then going by the name of Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing) revealed Scotch Tape. This product, consisting of clear cellophane tape with a pressure-sensitive adhesive on one side, would become a household and office necessity.
Digging Deeper
3M has since ridden the success of Scotch Tape to produce many products bearing the Scotch brand that have nothing to do with the original product, one example being the stain repellent Scotchguard. 3M first began advertising with the familiar tartan plaid (Wallace type) in 1945. Today, many manufacturers produce adhesive tape, but most folks generically call these products “Scotch Tape” as well. (Same as the Kleenex phenomenon.)
Pressure-sensitive or adhesive tape was invented by a surgeon in 1845, presumably for medical applications. Since then, all sorts of material have been used as tape, with just as many types of adhesive. These include: medical adhesive tape which comes in both cloth and plastic varieties; package-sealing tape; metal tape, iron-on hem tape; electrical tape; friction tape; sports grip tape; and, of course, the greatest friend of men everywhere, duct tape, which men use to fix EVERYTHING!
Some types of tape have to be moistened for the adhesive to work, while other types have to be heated. Some types come with a layer over the sticky side that must be peeled off before use. There are even double-sided sticky tapes for a variety of uses.
A simple roll of electrical tape, or insulating tape, in your glove compartment, tool box, tackle box, kitchen drawer or pocket can save a life as a temporary wound binder, can temporarily fix a leaky pipe or hose, can be used to make emergency repairs on clothing (especially raincoats), can get you at least double the life out of a wornout baseball and can be used for a million other vital things, including its primary use as an insulator for electrical wiring. Same thing goes for duct tape which is probably the greatest auto body repair product ever made! (On a budget, anyway…)
Not only is Scotch Tape handy for taping pieces of paper together, it makes a dandy light-duty lamination material for preserving clippings or small photos; and it can be used for posting toddler art on the fridge, labeling things, removing pet hair and lint from clothing and for all sorts of arts and crafts. Available in numerous varieties, one of the most popular ones is the “invisible” type that seems to disappear when pressed firmly onto paper or an object.
It is hard to imagine what modern life would be like without all these types of tape, especially Scotch Tape, the king of them all. Question for students (and subscribers): Feel free to tell us your most interesting or innovative uses for tape are, as there are undoubtedly some interesting uses indeed, in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Huck, Virginia. The Brand of the Tartan: The 3M Story. Appleton-Century-Croft, INc., 1955.
Unknown. A Century of Innovation: The 3M Story. 3M Company, 1734.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by Improbcat of an antique Scotch brand package, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="8860 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=8860">99 Comments
They pointed out a lot of uses and facts that I had never thought of before
I consider 3M as the proficiency, Innovation, and as what the video states ” 3M has a head start on a new century with new technologies” Also sustainability takes its place that nowadays the U.S. is one of the most powerful developed countries.
Didn’t realize that adhesive tape was created for use in the medical field.
I didn’t realize that some tapes had to be moistened or heated in order for it to work.
Scotch tape has definitely been a necessity in my house pretty much all of my life. I did not know it was invented for use in the medical field.
My mom is a HUGE fan of duct tape. About a year ago the front bumper of one of our cars wouldn’t stay on, so she first tried screwing it back into place, which did not work. Then she tried to wire it, which didn’t work either. Then she broke out the good old reliable mechanic’s tool: duct tape. The bumper is still held together to this day with duct tape, one of the best inventions.
I find it funny that either my mom or I have used scotch tape throughout my entire life and just today I found out what 3M stands for, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing.
I use a variety of tapes in my Athletic Training major, however, I did not know that it was created for the medical field to begin with.
Knowing that this comes from medical tape, makes me think what else comes from our advances in the medical field.
I did not know that tape had its origins in the medical field. It’s interesting to see how it expanded to be used anywhere.
I cant believe what if life would be like with out tape today.
What would we do without scotch tape? Nothing, that is what we would do.
I did not realize what life would be like without tape today.
My major deals with the medical field and I had no clue that scotch tape was invented for the medical field.
There are so many different types of duct tape now with all different designs. My sister is obsessed and makes wallets and things out of it.
Tape is essential to any redneck mechanic.
Its crazy to me to think how tape hasn’t always been a thing
Tape is an amazing invention. great to see how long its been around
One of the greatest inventions that nobody really gives any real thought, tape
Is there anything that Duck Tape can’t do. I can’t imagine living without it.
i could not imagine living without duct tape. I love duck tape i literally have every color even the cool print ones. does it say much i was even a part of a duct tape parade
This is a great invention! I don’t know what I would do without tape. It fixes the little things that need to be done in your house.
I can’t imagine a life without tape and many other common household items that I use everyday. I’m very thankful for all of the inventions of this time.
I find it interesting that various brands of tape (other than medical tape) are generally always referred to as Scotch tape. The name still holds today, and considering the tape was produced in 1930, that explains just how useful and important tape was and still is today. -ACL
It’s really interesting how frequently we use tape and to the extend in which we use it. Scotch tape has been used for little things and had become to helpful in our everyday lives. I think it’s really interesting that a surgeon developed the product!
We use tape so often, it is really interesting to learn about it.
I always wondered where the phrase “3M” came from!
I never knew or put much thought into what 3M stood for.
Tape of any kind is a life saver. In my house I have electrical tape, duct tape, medical tape, and Scotch tape and I can honestly say I use one of these at least once a week. I just recently put electrical tape on my phone charger cord until I could go buy another charger.
I never really thought about the history of tapes. It’s simple inventions like these that we take for granted in everyday life.
Something as simple as tape has such an impact on our culture and daily lives!
I would not have expected a surgeon to have invented Scotch Tape for medical applications. Also, I did not know that iron on hem tape existed and find that very interesting. Tape is an item taken for granted, imagine what life would be like without it today.
We all take something as simple as tape for granted. What an amazing, practical discovery.
I never thought about the invention of tape but I did not realize that it was around in the late 1800’s. I agree with many of the comments that it is something we take for granted.
3m products are amazing. at my work we sell all types of products
It’s funny how you use something on an almost daily basis but never really give a second thought as to how it was made or invented.
It is crazy to see how one type of tape was invented turned into so many different types of tapes used for a variety of projects.
What would we do without tape. Its right up there with post its. Duck tape is by far my favorite. You can even make clothing out of it. I use it to get lint off my clothing!
I never realized that scotch tape was invented by a surgeon. This makes a lot of sense considering all of the medial technology that physicians and nurses have used in the past and use in today’s world.
It is awesome to see that scotch tape was invented by a surgeon and all of the different ways that it is used today! I always have some type of scotch tape on hand and I use it for everything! It is crazy how far that simple invention has come!
You can use tape for so many activities. I was interested to find out that it was invented by a surgeon.You never really appreciate the little things like tape and how useful it is to us today.
It’s shocking that Scotch tape came about less than 100 years ago. It is hard to imagine what would have been used before January 31, 1930.
I am actually not shocked that it was a surgeon who invented tape. As someone who has observed, and assisted in surgeries I can see how a surgeon would want to use something like tape to either help with approximating incisions, or keeping dressings on surgical sites after the procedure is done.
I agree with Audrey on the fact that a surgeon coming up wit tape doesn’t surprise me. Interesting article.
Tape is a great invention. I just never know that it was invented by a surgeon originally.
As we all know, we may use Scotch Tape at anytime and anywhere. I have to say that it is a great invention just like Shuling said.
As an early childhood education major, I could not imagine life without tape! This was a great read and I enjoyed learning about the history of an everyday product that one would not usually think about the history of.
I never knew that tape was invented by a surgeon.
I didn’t know tape was invented by a surgeon, but I’m certainly thankful for it!
The invention of scotch tape is a very important one. I knew it was created by a surgeon, but I did not know it was all the way back in the 30’s
I knew tape was created by a surgeon, but had no idea it was invented in 1845.
I use tape to hold my life together so it’s interesting to learn about its origins.
What a great invention.
I could not imagine a life before tape was invented! Also, I have never thought about how people call tape “Scotch tape” whether it is Scotch brand or not!
What an interesting article learning about tape.
This tape is one of the worlds best inventions, right next to post-it notes.
Scotch definitely changed the game in wrapping presents. What would you do before this, glue them together?
What was life like before we had such a luxury?! I think that it is awesome that medical adhesive tape was invented by a surgeon and has been around since 1845.
I believe this invention is one of the most useful still today.
Great information. The simple and small inventions always seem to make the largest impact on us, without us even realizing it.
I don’t know how I would function in nursing school without the invention of the medical tape I use made by 3M. I liked reading about the historical significance of an everyday household item that we often take for granted!
Scotch tape is a household name. The uses are endless!
Without this invention wrapping Christmas presents would be impossible.
That is so true how would we wrap gifts. We would have to bag them
This was a great invention, we use it everywhere. Duct tape is used on a lot of things and you know the saying duct tape will fix everything.
Interesting how such an innocuous invention can be taken for granted by everyon but be so vitally important to almost everyone.
Its weird to think about time before tape was invented and I love all of the multiple uses tape has come to adopt. We even see kids making prom dresses now out of duct tape, curious to see the next use for tape in the future.
What a mess Christmas would be having to glue all of your presents wrapping paper on. The world without tape just would not be right. Whether its scotch, duct, double-sided or masking tape they are all so important today.
I am not sure what I would of done in Iraq during 2003 without duct tape. It help me keep my tent up and stop all my equipment from getting wet. Also during sand storms it help keep the windows seal in our vehicles so that sand would not come in. I also use it to fix my camel bak so that I could have water during my missions. I’m not sure if I could have done all those things without duct tape.
THe thought of not using tape at christmas time makes me nervous. I couldnt imagine.
Something like scotch tape is one of those little things that you just don’t think about (Take for granted). But in all reality, this was an incredible invention. We now have several different types of tape that serve several different types of purposes. I like the plaid marketing strategy.
I have to agree with Jeffrey on this one. Scotch tape really is one of those inventions that we don’t think much about and take for granite, but yet it is one of those inventions that we buy in bulk during the holidays. It has become a de-facto for wrapping presents as well as many other useful purposes.
I used scotchtape and duct tape almost everyday and never really thought to where it came from. It is pretty cool to know that now!
Any kind of tape, if you have it, and you have a child (obviously old enough to use it), you will get a lot done. There is an obsession with tape by children, and it really is one of the greatest occupiers ever.
Such simple inventions that changed our lives forever. Amazing how fast and far we have come in what seems such a short period of time.
Its hard to wrap your mind around the idea of a surgeon performing surgery in 1845! But we all have to start somewhere. Tape is definitely an asset to the medical world. Vendors are still continuously trying to reinvent tape and adhesives to aide in wound closure, healing, and management.
Although Scotch tape is original, duct tape is more useful. Scotch tape is suitable for gift wrapping and other small projects. However, duct tape has many uses and comes in many different colors and designs to meet your needs.
Scotch tape has a lot of uses for smaller things that aren’t heavy or deal with just paper like materials. I use Scotch tape the most when I am scrapbooking. I tape the picture down on the printed paper and use other pretty decals to cover up the tape. Without Scotch tape, I would have a hard time trying to scrapbook.
I don’t know what I would do without scotch tape. As an education major I am always using take to make projects or activities for my students.
Its amazing to see how small inventions, such as scotch tape, become a big thing throughout the world. Scotch tape is used everyday, in businesses and offices. without it how would we post things or wrap gifts?
“Scotch Tape” what would we do without it? It is fascinating how many companies took the idea of a “sticky substance” on a piece of clear cellophane to hold things together and created their own version and marketed it for a variety of uses.
It is fascinating how people can come up with what seems to be the simplest thing and have it become a house hold item. I use Scotch Tape for everything, even helping myself put on bracelets in the morning.
I like Scotch Tape, but LOVE Duck Tape. What’s the expression? If you can’t fix it with Duck Tape, then you aren’t using enough tape.
i’m a huge duct tape guy. Also interesting to read Scotch tape was invented by a surgeon.
I love double-sided tape! It helps with a lot of sewing projects where pin needles are a little harder to move out of the way. I could never imagine life without tape!
This is a great article! I love using 3M products and the double-sided tape is awesome. So many uses for it!
I actually run a body shop and almost all of our supplies for the guys to use on the cars are 3M brand. They do a lot of different things in our dealership. They offer a scotch guard type service for the interior of the vehicle. They have obviously grown tremendously.
Mark Jenkins, a wonderful artist that uses packing tape as his method. I often wonder what he would have used to express himself if tape did not exist. Thank you 3m!
I use tape every day that I work.. Sometimes even just to wrap it around my finger just to unravel it again.
It amazes me that scotch tape has been around since 1930! It is an item that is used around the world on a daily basis. I would have loved to be the inventor of scotch tape! Just think about much scotch tape has been sold since being invented!
Interesting to know that a surgeon invented adhesive tape in 1845 but scotch tape was not around/invented until 1930. I have use many rolls of scotch tape not only to wrap presents but to also hang my children’s artwork. Not to mention the crazy amount of tape I use in the ER!
Where would we be today without the invention of tape. i use it almost everyday for multiple things including work and home. It has so many different uses. Very interesting article.
Absolutely love duct tape! All tape for that matter, and use it for a variety of different things. I was unaware that a surgeon invented tape.
My four wheeler is covered in duct tape! I love the stuff!
I didn’t know that scotch tape had be around for that long! Today, duct tape is used for so much, truly a great invention.
Scotch and duct tape were two great inventions. I had no idea scotch tape was that old.
I never heard of Scotch Tape before, it is good thing by knowing it can combine things together, or putting scotch tape on something you can put onto other things.
it was an interesting history in American. may be that is a great advertising about 3M, haha
Scotch tape has been in my household my entire life. I always have a back up roll. I even use double sided tape to “hem” my pants in a pinch,